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10/09/2012

The Most Lamentable Decline of Liam Neeson

Taken 2

(France, 93 min.)

Dir. Olivier Megaton, Writ. Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Rade
Serbedzija

Liam Neeson, your dignity is about to be taken. The
once-great actor stumbles into the bargain bin yet again with Taken 2, a moronic cash grab that
follows up the surprise 2008 hit Taken.
Although Neeson never really fit the role of the action hero, he performed
admirably in the Luc Besson film, but he then slipped into a period of decline
with films such as Unknown, The A-Team, and Clash of the Titans, just to name a few duds. It seemed as if
Neeson was picking himself up again with his turn in the surprisingly good
thriller The Grey, but then he
co-starred with Rihanna in the board game adaptation Battleship and then opted for another big paycheck by cashing in
with Taken 2. One hopes that Steven
Spielberg considers making Schindler’s
List 2 so that Neeson may return to top form.

Taken 2 returns Neeson
to the role of Bryan Mills, a former spy/super-father who is a skilled and
stealthy manhunter. Last time around, Bryan saved his daughter, Kim (Maggie
Grace), when she went missing while on a trip with her friend. Several years
later, Bryan ventures on a top-secret mission to Istanbul and he takes his
ex-wife (Famke Janssen) and his daughter Kim along to do some sightseeing. This
time around, however, the bikini-clad Kim must overcome her fears and save her
mommy and daddy when they are–wait for it–taken.

The first Taken
provided decent (if overhyped) entertainment thanks to the stylish approach by
Besson and the above-grade character that Neeson brought to the action genre.
This sequel, however, offers a clumsy effort by director Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3) and a disappointingly
dull turn by its leading man. Taken 2
is simply a waste of talent. It’s so lazy that it recycles the Drive soundtrack not once, but twice.

Clichéd and predictable, Taken
2 is a numbskull tread into second-run formula. The film sees the Mills
family running around Istanbul, tossing grenades and sharing sparse but sappy
dialogue. Taken 2 is mindlessand surprisingly xenophobic family adventure. The film hits its lowest
moment when it aims for art and transforms the chase into a daddy/daughter
driving lesson through the streets of Istanbul. (How on earth does a student
driver outmanoeuvre a fleet of police officers?) The sequence ends with a
tender family moment that brought tears to my eyes… from laughter.

Congratulations Mr. Neeson: the highlight of your year
remains the film in which you punched a wolf.